Likely to bring smiles and tears to dog lovers.
A delightful dog forever changes the life of a physics professor in this true-life tribute to man’s best, and most forgiving, friend.
It was just after New Year’s 1978 that Deck (Development of Quantum Theory from Physical Principles, 2009) received an unwanted Christmas gift from a friend in Iowa. A call from the Toledo, Ohio, airport informed him that a dog had been air shipped to him and was awaiting pickup. A quiet, somewhat shy bachelor accustomed to his own routine, Deck had no intention of bringing a dog into his rather tidy life. Unable to immediately ship the 7-month-old puppy back to its sender without first retrieving and then resending him a day later, he decided to find someone to adopt the frightened canine. Dodger-McGee quickly worked his way into Deck’s life and heart. Over the next 14 years, man and dog strove to adjust to the other’s unique lifestyle through a journey taken by two independent souls inexorably connected by that special bond between human and dog. A cheerful, affectionate dog, Dodger-McGee displayed exceptional sensitivity to the specific needs of the humans in his environment. Greeting each and every comer individually, he politely discriminated between those who appreciate up-close contact and those who prefer some personal space between man and dog. He knew without being told that Bob’s frail mother could not endure his usual jumps, so he quietly rested his chin on her lap. He was also meticulous in observing rules he set for himself: only one meal per day, specifically after dark; one effusive greeting per day to the next-door neighbor; never enter the living room. Deck recants the story in third person, with “Bob” playing the protagonist. An observational quality in the writing lends a strange air of detachment, even though it’s clear Bob deeply loves the dog. There are several touching moments and a few that are absolutely heartbreaking, as when Deck takes a sabbatical and an aging Dodger-McGee must weather a year with indifferent caregivers, without the most important member of his pack.
Likely to bring smiles and tears to dog lovers.Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2013
ISBN: 978-1478350309
Page Count: 86
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Oct. 16, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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